Method and apparatus for feeding textile materials in a sewing machine



06b 1968. .1. A. DES ORMEAUX ET AL 3,404,646

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING TEXTILE MATERIALS IN A SEWING MACHINE Filed Aug. 24, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1968 J. A. DES ORMEAUX ET AL 3,404,646

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING TEXTILE MATERIALS IN A SEWING MACHINE Filed Aug. 24, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 J auabla y 31km fli'ioflaaey l. J. A. DES ORMEAUX ET AL 3,404,646 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING TEXTILE MATERIALS Oct. 8, 1968 V IN A SEWING MACHINE v Filed Aug. 24, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 3,404,646 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEED- ING TEXTILE MATERIALS IN A SEW- ING MACHINE John A. Des Ormeaux, Bradford, and Joseph R. Paradis, Wayland, Mass, assignors to Frederic P. Worthen, Lowell, Mass.

Filed Aug. 24, 1965, Ser. No. 482,113 6 Claims. (Cl. 112--212) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Successive workpieces passed under a yieldably supported presser foot in a sewing machine receive stitches from a vertically oscillating needle bar equipped with a needle holder and needles. The workpieces are periodically advanced to maintain them in spaced apart relationship during and after stitching by means of two feed mechanisms. The feed mechanisms include a conventional feed bar in the base of the sewing machine which engages and lifts the presser foot during a stitching operation. A second feed member of the invention is pivotally arranged above the path of travel of the workpiece on the presser foot extremeity for swinging movement about a horizontal axis when the feed bar moves up and down. When stitching takes place and the resiliently supported presser foot is raised by the feed bar mechanism, the pivoting feed member is gravity operated and swings back from a forwardly angled position into a more nearly vertical position and slidably engages a workpiece passing away from the presser foot means. Thereafter with the presser foot moving downwardly in response to change in position of the conventional feed bar, the pivoting feed member is displaced forwardly into its original angled position and in so doing advances the stitched workpiece through a short additional travel space to always maintain this workpiece in spaced relation to the next advancing workpiece.

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for feeding textile materials and, more particularly, mechanisms for feeding successive textile workpieces through a stitching station in a sewing machine. Reference is had especially to feeding textile workpieces such as shoe linings, rubber canvas footwear parts and similar cloth pieces into sewing machines of the general type in which a vertically oscillating needle bar with needle holder and needles are arranged to carry out a stitching operation.

In machines of the class referred to a piece of fabric is customarily moved under a resiliently supported presser foot by means of a well-known feed bar mechanism which is located in the work supporting base of the machine and which moves up and down periodically in carrying out a feeding operation during each stitching cycle. Although satisfactory for many operations the feed mechanism described may develop problems especially in dealing with successive small fabric pieces such as shoe linings and particularly where cutting mechanisms are employed to sever the thread between a stitched workpiece and a succeeding workpiece rapidly advanced into a stitching position. If satisfactory travel of workpieces away from the machine is not accomplished interference or jamming may occur and this may result in loss of operator time as well as interruption of mechanical cutting where mechanical cutters are employed.

It is a principal object of the present invention to deal with feeding problems of the type above indicated and in general to devise an improved cloth feeding method and feed mechanism which will automatically advance a workpiece after it has been stitched and particularly after it 3,404,646 Patented Oct. 8, 1968 has been moved out of contact with the conventional feed mechanism noted above.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a feed mechanism which is operated in response to movement of the conventional feed bar mechanism described so as to provide in effect an auxiliary or secondary feeding action which is carried out in timed relation to the movement of the conventional feed bar mechanism.

It is also an object of the invention to devise a feed mechanism which may be conveniently embodied in the form of an attachment to be secured to one point or another on a conventional sewing machine presser foot mechanism with only minor changes being required.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary feed member which can be adjusted to provide desirable spacings and positions of contact with a fabric workpiece.

The invention and its other objects and novel features will be more fully understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a sewing machine illustrating the feed means of the invention mounted thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of portions of the machine andfeed mechanism on a somewhat enlarged scale;

FIGURE 3 is another elevational view of a rear portion of a stitching machine with auxiliary feed means in an engaged position;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing a preferred means of attaching the feed member of the invention to a presser foot bar; and

FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are diagrammatic views illustrating successive positions of a feeding bar member with resultant change in position of the feed member of the invention.

In accordance with the invention, we carry out a novel cloth feeding operation which in one preferred form is designed to operate in conjunction with feeding by the well-known sewing machine feed bar mechanism and spring-loaded presser foot means to provide a secondary or auxiliary feeding action.

The apparatus which we have devised for carrying out this secondary or auxiliary feeding operation includes a supporting body, means for detachably securing the supporting body on the presser foot structure of a standard type of sewing machine and a pivoting feed member mounted in an angularly disposed position for swinging movement about a horizontal axis of rotation on the supporting body.

When stitching takes place, the resiliently supported presser foot means is raised by the conventional feed bar mechanism and the pivoting feed member of the invention moves back from a forwardly angled position into a more nearly vertical position and s'lida'bly engages a workpiece passing away from the presser foot means. Thereafter, with the presser foot moving downwardly in response to change in position of the conventional feed bar mechanism, the pivoting feed member is displaced forwardly into its original angled position and in so doing advances the engaged cloth portion through a short additional travel distance in a highly effective manner.

Referring more in detail to the structure shown in the drawings, we have illustrated one preferred embodiment of feed member of the invention combined with a sewing machine M of the type having a thread cutting mechanism as disclosed and claimed in a ctr-pending application Ser. No. 384,929 filed July 24, 1964, now patent No. 3,330,236 and entitled Cutting Mechanisms for Sewing Machine and Method of Cutting Material.

The sewing machine M includes a stitching head 2, a work supporting base 4, a vertically oscillatable feed bar mechanism 6 in the work supporting base and a presser foot structure 8. The pressure foot structure is fixed to a spring-loaded presser foot bar 10 as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 and the presser foot structure 8 is formed with a lower extremity 8a supporting a feed wheel 12. Member 12 is adapted to engage a fabric workpiece W and to be raised and lowered by the feed bar mechanism 6 which is shown in some detail diagrammatically in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7.

The sewing machine also includes a conventional needle bar 14, a needle bar holder 16 and needles as 18 and 20. At the bottom of the presser foot structure is the usual bifurcated presser foot part 22 through which the needles 18 and pass in the customary manner. Mounted through the presser foot mechanism is a resiliently supported sensing device 24 which normally is forced upwardly when it comes into contact with the fabric workpiece W and which is designed to enter into an opening or hole 26 in the work supporting base 4 when no fabric is present. Also mounted in the presser foot mechanism is a cutting knife not shown in the drawings which operates in response to movement of the sensing member 24 into the hole 26.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited to use with a machine having a thread cutting mechanism, nor to any other particular form of sewing machine, and it is intended that the invention be applied to various types of sewing machines wherein a vertical displacement of a presser foot mechanism takes place, or any other form of machine wherein a vertical displacement of one or more components takes place.

With respect to the cutting mechanism disclosed in the above-referenced application Ser. No. 384,929, it may be noted briefly that a cutting knife mounted in a presser foot member is operated under the control of a vertically disposed sensing element which normally moves downwardly against fabric moving along a work supporting base of the machine.

As long as the sensing element is caused to come into contact with a cloth surface, it i yieldably retracted and no cutting takes place. At a point where no fabric is contacted such as in the interval between one fabric piece leaving the machine and another entering the stitching station, the sensing element may then move down through a hole in the work supporting base of the machine and the extended travel of the sensing element actuates the cutting knife to cut the thread or tape used in the machine.

It will be apparent that if a stitched workpiece is not moved into spaced relation to a succeeding workpiece Attention is directed to FIGURES 1 and 2 wherein we have illustrated the pivoting feed element of the invention indicated by reference character 30 and shown pivotally mounted on a support body 32. The support body 32 has an extension part 32a which is secured by a fastening 34 to a portion of the presser foot apparatus. The fastening 34 is received through an elongated slot 36 as suggested in FIGURE 2 to provide for adjusting the position of the support body 32 horizontally so as to vary the spacing of the pivoting feed element 30 relative to the needles 18 and 20.

The feed element 30 in one preferred form compromises a relatively thin irregularly curved body having a rounded bottom portion which is serrated or otherwise notched to provide a cloth engaging friction surface 30a. As shown in detail in FIGURE 3, the feed element 30 is rotatable about a horizontal axis of rotation on a bearing sleeve 38 in turn secured by a bolt 40 and a nut 42. The bolt 40 is adjustably received through an elongated slot 44 (FIGURE 2) to provide for raising or lowering the 4 feed element 30. Transversely disposed through the feed element 30 is a stop 39 which is arranged to come into contact with the adjacent lower extremity of the support body structure numeral 32 and limit movement of the feed element as described below.

In a normal position of adjustment the feed element 30 as illustrated in FIGURE 2 may be disposed in a forwardly angled position and in this position no feeding is taking place. During each stitching cycle however the feed element 30 is moved out of this position into a more nearly vertically disposed position and thereafter returns to its starting position as shown in FIGURE 2. These positions are actuated by rise and fall of the presser foot structure which is resiliently contained against the feed bar mechanism.

The several positions assumed by feed member 30 are more clearly illustrated in a diagrammatic form in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7. As shown in these diagrammatic figures the feed member is illustrated as pivotally suspended from a bar portion which is intended to represent diagrammatically either the presser foot structure (FIGURES 1 and 2) or any other type of sewing machine structure which undergoes vertical displacement.

Considering first the position of the feed element 30 as shown in FIGURE 5, it will be observed that the feed bar 6 is engaging a fabric piece W1 against a feed wheel 12 and has lifted the feed wheel and attached presser foot structure indicated diagrammatically at 8 a short distance. A fabric piece W which has already been stiLched and advanced forwardly a short distance is lying under the feed element 30 which, as noted by the arrow, has by gravity rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 5. The feed element 30 is thus swung into a more nearly vertically disposed position with the friction engaging surface 30a sliding back over the top surface of the workpiece W.

In FIGURE 6 the feed bar 6 is shown moved forwardly while still in its raised position. Conventional feeding of workpiece W1 takes place with the workpiece sliding under the feed element 30 in its nearly vertical position of adjustment. As shown in FIGURE 7 the feed bar 6 then drops down into its starting position thus allowing the feed wheel 12 and presser foot structure 8 to become lowered. As this occurs the pivoted feed element 30 necessarily is displaced into a forwardly angled position as indicated by the arrow in FIGURE 7. This forward displacement of the feed element 30 advances the fabric W through a short predetermined distance of travel and thus maintains a desirable gap G between the fabric workpiece W.

The feeding action thus realized is important for various types of sewing operations and is particularly important in the case of a machine of the type shown in the drawings since the gap G allows the sensing element 24 to have room to pass downwardly and enter into its receiving aperture so that cutting action can be initiated. It will be obvious that by the positive secondary feeding action described, it becomes almost impossible for two workpieces to become crowded together into a position such that the sensing element 24 cannot enter into its receiving aperture.

While we have described a preferred embodiment of the feed means and supporting parts therefor, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a sewing machine of the class having a work supporting base for receiving a workpiece, means for stitching the workpiece, a feed bar vertically movable in the supporting base and a presser foot mechanism yieldable in a vertically upward and downward direction in response to movement of the feed bar, the combination of support means attached to the presser foot mechanism and movable therewith and a feed member pivotally suspended from the support means above the path of travel of the workpiece in a position to engage the workpiece and gravity operated into passing below the presser foot mechanism when said presser foot mechanism is moved in said upward direction and to move the workpiece through a short distance of travel when said presser foot mechanism is moved in said downward direction.

2. A structure according to claim 1 in which the pivoting cloth feed element is loosely pinned to one end of the support means and is of a size such that it pivots in one direction during upward travel of the feed bar thereby to move into a cloth engaging position and is pivotally displaced in an opposite direction when the feed bar is in a downward travel whereby cloth engaged by the feed member is advanced away from the presser foot mechanism a short distance.

3. A structure according to claim 2 in which the pivoting feed member is formed at its lower end with a friction surface for promoting positive frictional engagement of the feed member with the cloth.

4. A structure according to claim 3 in which the feed member is adjustably secured in the support means to vary the spacing of the feed member relative to the presser foot means.

5. A structure according to claim 1 in which the pivoting cloth feed member is formed with a stop element transversely disposed therethrough for limiting rotative travel of the feed element in one direction.

6. A structure according to claim 1 in which the support means attached to the presser foot mechanism is formed with a vertical and horizontal slot means for locating the feed member at varying heights relative to the supporting base of the sewing machine.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,627,240 2/1953 Johnson et al 112-235 2,742,009 4/1956 Enos 112-235 2,820,426 1/1958 Doerr et a1 112-212 3,040,682 6/1962 Leslie 112-212 X 3,068,819 12/1962 Hedegaard 112-235 X 3,215,106 11/1965 Bono 112-252 RICHARD J. SCANLAN, JR., Primary Examiner. 

